Conveyer.



N0. 777,37?v PATENTED DEG. 13, 1904. W. T. JAMES.

CONVEYER.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 5, 1903.

N1) MODEL. 0 j

9 lv fll l illll zl' a "W Cm lllllll NITED STATES Patented December 13, 1904.

IVILLIAM T. JAMES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CONVEYEFL.

SIEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,377, dated December 13, 1904.

Application filed December 5, 1908. Serial No. 183,998. (No model.)

'1 '0 all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. JAMES, a citizen of the Unltod States, residing at Chicago,

in the State of Illinois, have invented certain' new and useful Improvements in Conveyors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to conveyors and particularly to the construction and articulation of the links for continuous conveyor chains, and to means for mounting conveyor flights thereon. llhe objects of the invention are, to provide a single strand conveyor chain capable of flexure in several directions; to provide a conveyor chain having improved detachable joints; to provide a superior conveyor flight and to mount the same upon the chain to turn independently of the chain; to provide a flexible single chain conveyor with flights capable of turning in any direction, and to generally improve the construction and operation of conveyors. These objects, together with other advantages which will hereinafter appear, I attain by means of the structure and assemblage of parts as illustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawings, wherein:-

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a plan view and a side elevation of a conveyor mounted to run in a trough;

Figures 3 and 4: are cross sections at two points along the conveyor, showing the variations of position of the flights and of the con veyer trough;

F igure 5 is a central horizontal cross section through one of the flights, showing the mode of mounting it upon the conveyor chain;

Figures 6 and 7 are, respectively, a plan view and a side elevation of a series of the conveyor links which I prefer to use;

Figure 8 is a view of a single link with both joints in the same plane;

Figures 9 and 10 are, respectively, a horizontal and a vertical section through the joint between two links of the chain;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the liller block used in the joint, and

Figure 12 is a horizontal cross section showing a modified form of the conveyor trough. .ln conveying loose material, such as grain, coal, and the like, 1t 1s advantageous to use a trough with the flight of the conveyor acting as a drag therein, in parts of the course, and it is generally convenient to have the trough lie in several planes in the course of the circuit. For this reason, I mount the flight rotatively upon the conveyor chain, and provide a conveyor chain which is flexible in several directions. It will be seen from Figures 1 and 2 that where, as there shown, the trough 13 has a skew form, or lies in different planes at dilferont points, the flights 1.5 which may preferably be supported by wheels 16 upon the track 14, will be required to turn with respect to the line of the chain 20. In passing around curves which lie in different planes, the chain may bend in either of two directions, by means of the provision of joints placed alternately with their axes at right angles to each other, as appears in Figures 6 and 7.

It will be seen from Figures 3, 4i, and 5 that the flight is mounted rotatively upon a disk 19 which has an annular flange working undor the retaining ring 18 riveted to the body portion of the flight. By this means the position of the flightmay adapt itself to any form of trough roq uired and is indepondontof the chain which will generally have some fixed position with respect to the sprocket wheels for carrying the conveyor chain around curves, as will be understood. In cases where it is convenient for the return course of the flight to be inverted, or the trough at any point to be inverted, I preferably provide the side of the trough with guide slots to engage the outer ends of the axle 17 of the wheel 16 as shown in Figure 12.

It will be soon from Figures 8, 9, and 10 especially, that the chain is formed of a series of monobar links 20, each of which at one end. has an offset collar 22 and at the other end a stud 21, preferably made hollow, and designed to articulate with the collar 22 of the next succeeding link. In order to retain the stud 21 in its engaging collar 22, I provide it with a laterally extended elliptical flange 23 which may be inserted in the collar 22 in one particular position by reason of the fact that the opening in the latter is elliptical; but upon being rotated until the two links are in alinoment, the flange 23 engages the side of the collar 22 and thus the two links are securely locked together. In order to make the joint closely fitting, I provide the filler block 24:, which may be inserted after the insertion of the stud 21 and ordinarily will be retained in place by means offlange 23.

It will be observed that by this construction the chain consists of a simple series of integral bars, each complete in itself for attachment to its neighboring links, and that the chain is readily separable at any point, while in the ordinary course of action, the joints are perfectly secure and may be arranged with their axes in any line desired. The fact that the conveyer chain does not require a double strand for pivoting the links, makes it peculiarly adaptable to a conveyer with rotatable flights. Other advantages will readily occur to those familiar with the art.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new, and

desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

1. A conveyer chain consisting of a single series of integral monobar links, each link having integral therewith means for detachably pivoting and locking it to the next link, and the attaching means on both links being integral with the link, substantially as described.

2. A single-strand conveyer chain composed of links made in one integral piece each having an elongated socket at one end and aboaring stud at the other end, both being laterally otfset from the body of the link, and a head upon the bearing stud set eccentric to the axis of the stud, whereby the stud may be locked in the socket of another similar link, substantially as described.

3. A monobar conveyer link consisting of a single-piece bar having at one end a socket and at the other end a pivot head, the head and socket being disposed with their axes in diflferent planes of the axis of the link, and means on the pivot head for interlocking the same with another similar link of the chain, substantially as described.

4. A monobar conveyer link having an elliptical ofl'set socket and a bearing stud with an elliptical attaching head, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. A conveyer link having an elliptical socket in combination with a link having a pivoting stud to engage the socket of the first link, and a filler. block to confine the pivot ing stud in place in such socket.

6. A conveyer chain composed of a single series of monobarlinks, said links having integral means thereon for pivotally locking them together. and the pivoting axes disposed at angles to each other so that the chain may bend in two planes, each link of the chain and its attaching means being a single integral piece.

7. In a conveyor, a single strand chain having thereon a series of flights rotatably mounted to move independently upon the links of the chain, in combination with a conveyer trough.

' 8. In a conveyer, a single strand chain having thereon a series of flights rotatably mounted upon the links of the chain, in combination with a conveyerltrough, said trough being provided with a track, and the flights being supported thereon upon wheels.

9. A conveyer flight mounted rotatably upon the conveyer chain and being provided with supporting wheels.

10. A conveyer flight mounted rotatably upon the conveyer chain and being provided with supporting wheels, in combination with a conveyer trough having a track thereon.

11. A conveyer flight mounted rotatably upon the conveyer chain and being provided with supporting wheels, in combination with a conveyor trough provided with guiding slots engaging the axles of said wheels, substantially as described.

12. The combination of a conveyer chain consisting of monobar links having detachable joints, aseries of flights rotatably mounted upon said links, and aconveyer trough cooperating with said flights.

13. In a conveyer, the combination of a trough having tracks thereon, a series of flights provided with wheels supported upon said tracks, and a monobar conveyer chain, each of said flights being mounted to rotate upon the chain, whereby the trough and the flights may lie in any desired plane without disturbing the alinement of the chain.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of the two subscribed witnesses.

WILLIAM T. JAMES.

WVitnesses:

PAUL CARPENTER, EDWARD C. BURNS. 

